Have you thought about solar hot water or solar electricity for your home but not known where to begin?

Then come to Solar For the Homeowner, a free hour long presentation covering how solar hot water and solar electric energy systems work.

You’ll learn the answers to questions like: How much will a system cost? Is my home a good site for solar? How reliable are these systems? Can I really expect a return on investment since I live in Maine?

Feel free to bring any other questions about solar in general or your situation specifically. We will discuss available incentives and you will have the chance to view working energy systems in our showroom. Learn what thousands of Mainers already know – that solar systems are an affordable, reliable, and sensible investment.

ReVision Energy’s Liberty shop manager John Luft will be leading this in-depth discussion on the best uses and current available options for solar hot water and grid-tied solar electric systems.

The free workshop will focus on solar hot water for domestic use and grid-tied solar electric systems. Topics include solar applications, system costs, what makes for an ideal solar site, system reliability, current incentives, and return on investment.

Attendees will have the opportunity to see the working solar hot water and solar electric systems that ReVision Energy uses at our Liberty shop and office.

Attendees are encouraged to come with questions, utility bills and to sign up for a free site evaluation. Light refreshments will be served.

MEREDA’s Annual Real Estate Forecast Conference is a unique forum specifically geared toward developers, brokers, architects, bankers, attorneys, accountants and other industry professionals.

MEREDA has assembled some of Maine’s top real estate leaders to provide the annual Economic Overview and Outlook on Maine’s economy, along with the popular Market Overview by property type focusing on both Commercial and Residential Forecasts. Attendees will gain valuable insights on the state of the economy and what lies ahead in the coming months for the real estate industry.

Topics to be covered include: An examination of current State statistics and what they reveal about the future of Maine’s economy with an emphasis on real estate and a Market Overview by property type focusing on both Commercial and Residential Sectors.

Supplementing the conference will be MEREDA’s Seventh Annual Member Showcase with MEREDA Members exhibiting their products and services in front of the “who’s who” in commercial real estate. We anticipate approximately 550 will attend the Annual Forecast Conference again this year and MEREDA’s Member Showcase offers an excellent opportunity for Members to network and market their products and services.

ReVision will be available in exhibition hall to discuss solar energy options for new and retrofit construction.

Open to the public, this is MABEP’s second year of bringing trade people and energy professionals together to network and attend workshops to further Maine’s efforts in energy efficiency.

While geared to energy efficiency professionals, there will be a lot of information of general interest including workshops on five different tracks – hardware, building science, business management, renewable energy, and “in-depth” issues.

ReVision Energy is offering three separate presentations – Liberty branch manager John Luft will be discussing solar hot water basics, Fortunat Mueller will be discussing renewable energy system modeling, covering PvWatts, RETscreen, and Polysun, and Geoff Sparrow will be discussing solar space heating. Finally, Pat Coon, a ReVision Energy partner and founder of our sister company, ReVision Heat, will be giving a presentation on air source heat pumps.

Registration ranges from $125 to $325, depending on how many days you plan on attending and whether or not you are a MABEP member. View MABEP’s website for full details, course schedule, workshop descriptions and to register.

A weekend toys fundraiser at Scratch Baking Company resulted in this great pile of gifts!

This weekend (Dec 4 and 5) ReVision set up outside of Scratch Baking Company to serve as a drop-off spot for the Toys for Tots program.

To make giving just a little more warming, Scratch offered a free coffee to anyone who dropped off a toy!

Warming Up on a Cool Day

Plenty of friends and neighbors in the area stopped in to offer support, including some friends of the furry variety (such as Gypsy the neighborhood cat).

There were also visitors of the canine variety – Scratch is known for being dog friendly, and everyone comes with their dog and ties them up outside while they go in for bagels.

Scratch makes their own dog treats which every dog knows and waits patiently for while their owner is inside.

Helping the Holidays

It was a great turnout – everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we’re delighted to help Toys for Tots with this assortment of toys which will be distributed in the local area.

We hopefully will make a tradition of it, and have already been invited back for next year!

More Photos:

Join us at the Hospitality Expo hosted by the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association. The show is an opportunity for hospitality businesses to meet vendors in every area of the industry including lodging, food, entertainment, and of course, energy.

The Expo will also have marketing clinics for attendees including presentations on public relations, menu design, web design, and social media.

Stop by ReVision Energy’s booth to see how solar energy can save your business thousands of dollars a year in utility bills!

The Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is pleased to offer this full-day LEED Green Associate Workshop.

The workshop is designed to introduce participants to basic green building concepts and strategies in an effort to prepare them for the LEED Green Associate Exam and Credential. Throughout the program, participants will become familiar with the US Green Building Council, Green Building Certification Institute and will gain an understanding of the LEED rating system.

A portion of the program will be dedicated to exam tips, sample questions and study advice. This workshop meets the eligibility requirement for the USGBC Green Associate credential.

Faculty: Gunnar Hubbard, LEED AP BD+C, LEED AP ID+C, President, Fore Solutions

Course Fees: Chapter Member: $200 Non-Member: $230 Student Member: $175 Student Non-Member: $185 Registration Deadline: Friday, October 15, 2010

To register for the event, visit the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council’s website.

Sweden’s Director of Climate Policy, Lars Westermark, will present Sweden’s ambitious climate change policies, regarded as among the most successful in the world. Topics include climate targets, Sweden’s measures to reduce GHG emissions, and international climate agreements.

Westermark directs The Climate Unit, which coordinates the Swedish EPA’s work in the climate field and is responsible for the environmental quality objective of Reduced Climate Impact as well as for the follow-up of the Swedish climate strategy. It is responsible for the Swedish EPA’s work on emissions trading and prepares matters ahead of decisions by the Council for Emissions Trading Allocations. The Unit is also responsible for the involvement of the Swedish EPA in international climate negotiations. It evaluates and develops policy instruments in the climate field and coordinates the Swedish EPA’s work as regards adaptation measures.

For more information see this flyer (PDF)